For freedom and liberty, low taxes, less government, high social capital, and strong national defense

Saturday, October 14, 2006

The Last Of England?

Anecdotal and media reports suggest the major Brit institutions have been destroyed from within. That's not altogether bad news - visitors (like Mrs G and myself) don't feel the impact, and Brits may be getting mad enough to fix things.The anecdotal evidence comes from Brits encountered during our recent travels in Italy. Many run small businesses there, avoiding the Political Correctness and incompetence of the Brit state. They prefer to grapple with the awful Italian bureaucracy - it at least insists everybody speaks Italian and respects Italian culture. The bitterest expats we met had worked with Brit local government, which they said had become so obsessed with gender and cultural equality that it was no longer British.The media reports show the Brit Army, Schools, Police, and even British Airways have ceased to reflect Brit values.Armed ForcesThis is the last Brit institution enjoying wide public respect, but as reported yesterday it's now led by a man who has no time for the Brit military virtues of loyalty, persistence, and courage. Here's Charles Mooretoday:

Can it really be the case, as Sir Richard asserts, that our presence in Iraq, at the level of 7,500 men and women, could "break the Army"? Is the Iraqi government wrong when it says that the Army is keeping the peace in the south and that things would be much worse if it left?

And what on earth is going on when the head of the Army has a lower opinion of his forces' usefulness than does the elected government of the people they are protecting?

What, exactly, does Sir Richard want? Leave now? Leave in six months?How would a scurry out of Iraq help frighten the enemy in Afghanistan, which he says is his aim? What effect would it have on our standing with our allies all over the world?

Female students at a new Islamic school will be made to wear head scarves regardless of their religion, it was revealed yesterday.

The Madani High School in Leicester will be required by law to accept 10 per cent of its 600 pupils from a non-Muslim background. But girls who are not Muslim will still have to abide by a rule insisting all female pupils cover their heads as part of the uniform.

Parents of Brit kids who object to them being forced to wear alien outfits should move to France, where this practice is illegal.And then there's this (hat tip LGF, my ellipsis and emphasis):

A teenage schoolgirl was arrested by police for racism after refusing to sit with a group of Asian students because some of them did not speak English.The teenager had not been in school the day before due to a hospital appointment and had missed the start of a project, so the teacher allocated her a group to sit with...According to Codie, the five - four boys and a girl - then began talking in a language she didn't understand, thought to be Urdu, so she went to speak to the teacher. "I said 'I'm not being funny, but can I changegroups because I can't understand them?'

But (the teacher) started shouting and screaming, saying 'It's racist, you're going to get done by the police'." (in Brit criminal parlance, "Done" means arrested).A complaint was made to a police officer based full-time at the school, and more than a week after the incident on September 26 she was taken to Swinton police station and placed under arrest.

"They told me to take my laces out of my shoes and remove my jewellery, and I had my fingerprints and photograph taken," said Codie. "It was awful." After questioning on suspicion of committing a section five racial public order offence, her mother Nicola says she was placed in a bare cell for three-and-a-half hours then released without charge.

In this Clockwork Orange Britain, schools have full time cops, kids who can't speak English, and 14 year olds are jailed for complaining.The CopsThis happened while we were in Italy:

Scotland Yard has launched an urgent review after a Muslim police officer was excused from guarding London's Israeli Embassy on moral grounds.

PC Alexander Omar Basha, who is attached to the Metropolitan Police's Diplomatic Protection Group, asked for special dispensation because of his objection to Israel's bombing of Lebanon.

Former Flying Squad commander John O'Connor criticised the decision and warned: "This is the beginning of the end for British policing.When you join the police, you do so to provide a service to the public. If you cannot perform those duties, you leave."

A Scotland Yard spokesman refused to comment on the specific case but said they would consider special requests to be moved on moral grounds. He said: "Each case is considered separately, balancing the needs of the Metropolitan Police Service against those of the individual and the role which they will have to perform.

The good news is Alexander Omar Basha will now be on Mossad's watch list.British AirwaysThis once nationalized - and terrible - airline was privatized by Margaret Thatcher and for 10 years it flowered. I relied on them in the early 90s for a bi-weekly commute between San Francisco and London. But its glory days are gone (hat tip LGF, my ellipsis):

Heathrow check-in worker Nadia Eweida was sent home after refusing to remove the crucifix which breached (British Airway's) dress code.The airline's uniform code states that staff must not wear visible jewellery or other 'adornments' while on duty without permission from management. It makes exceptions for Muslim and Sikh minorities by allowing them to wear hijabs and turbans.

Under rules drawn up by BA's 'diversity team' and 'uniform committee', Sikh employees can even wear the traditional iron bangle - even though this would usually be classed as jewellery - while Muslim workers are also allowed prayer breaks during work time.

But Miss Eweida, 55, from Twickenham, insisted her cross, which is smaller than a ten pence piece, was not jewellery but an expression of her deep Christian faith.

She questioned why she was being forced to hide her religion when BA's Muslim and Sikh workers could express theirs.

Christianity is the Brit state religion (the Queen is Protector Of The Faith), so this airline is falsely representing itself as British. And by discriminating in favor of check-in clerks from communities supporting terror, it puts its customers at risk - these clerks are our first line of defense against airline terror.Visitors can avoid this - their kids don't need to attend Brit state schools, they can steer clear of Muslim cops, and not fly BA. Plus nobody is likely to invade the UK soon, so the absence of armed forces is not a problem.Still, it's terrible for native Brits, but it's possible we're seeing a backlash - at least these stories are being reported. Failing which, Brits can move to France or Italy...